A cost-benefit analysis of using Rooikrans as biomass feedstock for electricity generation: A case study of the De Hoop nature reserve, South Africa

Mudavanhu, Shepherd; Blignaut, James Nelson; Nkambule, Nonophile; Morokong, Tshepo; Vundla, Thulile

doi:10.4102/sajems.v19i5.1602

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…a positive opportunity cost) under such situations where the direct financial cost of restoration exceed the potential estimated (or included) benefits of such restoration. Only a single study indicated such a positive opportunity cost (Mudavanhu et al., 2016). In contrast, Stafford and Blignaut (2017) concluded, for the same site but after including the value of the potential sale of electricity from the use of IAPs, a small negative opportunity cost.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investing in natural capital and national security: A comparative review of restoration projects in South Africa

Crookes

Blignaut

2019

Heliyon

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Does restoration pay? We seek to answer this question by reviewing the benefits and costs of 37 economic values derived from five groups of actual restoration-related case studies in South Africa at various scales. The mean opportunity costs of not restoring are the following (a negative value implies an economic loss to society): i) local level single species studies concerned with clearing invasive alien plants (mean = -$27.24/ha/yr, sd = +/-22.93; n = 5); ii) local level multiple species studies concerned with clearing invasive alien plants (mean = -$289/ha/yr, sd = +/-550.6; n = 14); iii) national level studies concerned with clearing invasive alien plants (mean = -$40.2/ha/yr, sd = +/-17.2; n = 3); iv) non-clearing related restoration (mean = -$52/ha/yr, sd = +/-154.2; n = 10); and v) agricultural land rehabilitation (mean = -$428.1/ha/yr, sd = +/-352.7; n = 5). When these annual values are capitalised (i.e. discounted into perpetuity) to reflect the temporal impact of the foregone benefits of restoration, the losses amount to between 16 and 50 times greater than the annual values. Capitalisation of these values is an important step towards an asset-based approach in the management, restoration and conservation of natural capital. It is a step towards viewing the investment in restoration not merely as an expenditure item to be minimised, but as a truly worthwhile investment in the future wellbeing of both people and the planet – an investment in the national security of the country. More work, however, is required to transfer this value onto the balance sheets of companies in order to entice the private sector to invest more as well as to convert the implicit societal benefits of restoration to explicit company-wide value enhancement opportunities.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investing in natural capital and national security: A comparative review of restoration projects in South Africa

Crookes

Blignaut

2019

Heliyon

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“…This modelling approach is a well-established technique (Sterman, 2000) characterised by non-linearities and feedback between the components in the model and is well suited to modelling complex socio-economic phenomena (Crookes et al, 2013). Its application in the energy field is substantial, with the focus on energy inputs through biodiesel (Musango et al, 2012), coal , invasive alien plants (Mudavanhu et al, 2016;Vundla et al, 2016; as well as labour inputs to the electricity sector (Ogano & Pretorius, 2017).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of salient factors, relationships and values to support integrated energy-economic systems dynamic modeling

Heun

Crookes

2018

J. energy South. Afr.

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Integrated energy-economic modelling is needed to support the development of energy and climate policies. This study asserts that it is important to consider a system dynamics modelling approach that includes dynamics, endogenous treatment of uncertainty and risks, and both aggregate economic and disaggregate technical or engineering levels of analysis. The study examined the economic growth and the factors of production, elasticities, macroand technical substitutability; energy cost shares, heat engine efficiencies and energy services efficiencies. Emphasis was laid on the support of the future development of integrated energy-economic models covering (a) the key factors or components; (b) the relationships among these components; (c) a quantification of parameters; and (d) the implications for the development of an integrated energyeconomic system dynamics model. The study suggested the following: a non-linear relationship in production and consumption; large variations among price and income elasticity values across time frames, across countries and regions, and across energy goods; a far from perfect substitution among factors of production and among energy goods on a macro-level; technical/engineering limits to substitution on a micro-level; and engineering and behavioural limits on what can be achieved with increased efficiencies. The study argues that integrated energy-economic modelling intensifies the accounting for the factors, relationships, quantifications, and implications, and that this practice allows for such models to describe a complex, emergent energy-economic reality that informs better energy policy.

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“…Finally, the potential returns on investment from invasive plant control operations have been the subject of several recent studies that compared the outcomes of various management scenarios (Vundla et al 2016;Mudavanhu et al 2016;Morokong et al 2016;Nkambule et al 2017). The scenarios included different rates of spread, included or excluded value-added products using biomass from invasive plants, and included or excluded private sector co-funding.…”

Section: Returns On Investment From Control Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Extent and Effectiveness of Alien Plant Control Projects in South Africa

Wilgen

Wilson

Wannenburgh³

et al. 2020

Biological Invasions in South Africa

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Since 1995, the South African government has spent at least ZAR 15 billion (unadjusted for inflation; approximately USD1 billion) on alien plant control operations across South Africa. The amount spent per year has risen exponentially since 2010, and in 2019 annual spending is around ZAR 2 billion per year. Based on a small (but growing) number of case studies that have assessed management effectiveness, it is clear that the cover of invasive alien plants has been reduced in some localised areas, but continues to grow in others. A number of factors contribute to success, but the effort and resources required for successful control appear to be routinely underestimated , with actual costs between 1.5 and 8.6 times higher than initial budget estimates. Currently, therefore, control measures (other than biological control) have largely failed to check invasions at a national scale, and there have been no documented eradications of plant invasions from continental South Africa. We argue that control can be considerably improved by effective prioritisation, goal-setting and planning; monitoring of outcomes rather than of inputs;

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A cost-benefit analysis of using Rooikrans as biomass feedstock for electricity generation: A case study of the De Hoop nature reserve, South Africa

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

Investing in natural capital and national security: A comparative review of restoration projects in South Africa

Investing in natural capital and national security: A comparative review of restoration projects in South Africa

An overview of salient factors, relationships and values to support integrated energy-economic systems dynamic modeling

The Extent and Effectiveness of Alien Plant Control Projects in South Africa

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